NBA post-free agency power rankings
Now that most of the NBA free agency frenzy has died down, where do all 30 teams line up in for power rankings?
Leading up to free agency, many expected it to be crazy and it didn’t disappoint. With shocking moves happening all over the league, it’s clear that the NBA has arrived at a point where there are multiple teams that could realistically compete for a championship this season.
While there still may be a few moves left on the table before the league really quiets down, let’s take a look at what the NBA power rankings look like post-free agency.
Are the Phoenix Suns ever going to be relevant again? It seems like they’re trying with the addition of Ricky Rubio, but it still won’t be enough for them to emerge from the bottom.. . . Phoenix Suns. 30. team. 66
156. The Cavaliers made a nice pick to get Darius Garland, but what else do they have? An injury prone Kevin Love is the only relevant player on the roster.. . . Cleveland Cavaliers. 29. team
. Charlotte Hornets. 28. team. 170. The Hornets are headed for a very disappointing season. Losing the only star they had in Kemba Walker doesn’t help either..
27. team. 27. The Knicks missed out on all the big names that were available in the offseason, and now they’re stuck with a bunch of decent veteran power forwards. Nice.. . . New York Knicks
. Memphis Grizzlies. 26. team. 211. The Grizzlies might not perform very well next year, but they’re rebuilding the right way. Ja Morant will be a lot of fun to watch for fans all across the league..
team. 149. The Thunder are officially a collection of draft picks and future rebuilding assets. It could get ugly in a hurry this season.. . . Oklahoma City Thunder. 25
24. team. 24. The Bulls should be a very interesting team to keep an eye on next season. With a bunch of young quality players, they could surprise some people.. . . Chicago Bulls
The Timberwolves have one of the best centers in the league with Karl-Anthony Towns, but in the West, they’ll struggle to stay relevant.. . . Minnesota Timberwolves. 23. team. 86
125. The Hawks are going to be an extremely exciting team to watch not only this year but also in the coming years. With guys like John Collins, Trae Young, and newly drafted De’Andre Hunter, the Hawks will soon be on the rise.. . . Atlanta Hawks. 22. team
team. 142. The Wizards might be thrown under the bus a lot, but they still have Bradley Beal (barring a trade) on the roster. He gives them a chance to compete every single night.. . . Washington Wizards. 21
. New Orleans Pelicans. 20. team. 69. The Pelicans have a very formidable lineup and could possibly make some noise in the West. Regardless, watching Zion on that team will be must see TV..
team. 38. The Magic barely made the playoffs last year, and only added Al-Farouq Aminu. They’ll hover around the playoff conversation, but that’s about it.. . . Orlando Magic. 19
84. In the East, the Kings could be a legitimate playoff team. However, in the extremely crowded Western Conference, the Kings will have to battle just to compete for the last spot.. . . Sacramento Kings. 18. team
The Pistons snuck into the playoffs last year only to be completely obliterated by the Milwaukee Bucks. They still have Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, but that’s it.. . . Detroit Pistons. 17. team. 64
79. With Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis leading the way, the Mavericks could easily be in the playoff conversation. Regardless, the Doncic-Porzingis connection will be fun to watch. . . Dallas Mavericks. 16. team
81. Because the Raptors lost Kawhi Leonard, they’ll be significantly less competitive next year. Their roster is still talented so expect them to still fight for a playoff spot.. . . Toronto Raptors. 15. team
110. The Heat had no cap space and still managed to get Jimmy Butler, and seem just days away from landing Russell Westbrook. Because the deal isn’t official, I’ll keep the Heat here for now, but with Westbrook, they’d be ranked even higher.. . . Miami Heat. 14. team
San Antonio Spurs. 13. team. 29. The Spurs may be overlooked in the heavy Western Conference, but they still have DeRozan and Aldridge on that roster. They’ve got young studs as well and they took the Denver Nuggets to seven games in the playoffs last year.. .
team. 100. The Pacers have their star in Victor Oladipo, but there’s no second star to pair with him. A lot of people are expecting great things from them this year, but there’s no confirmation that they’ll be great.. . . Indiana Pacers. 12
147. The Nets made two huge improvements to their roster by signing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. While Durant will be out for a while, the Nets will still be one of the better teams in the East with Irving leading the way.. . . Brooklyn Nets. 11. team
10. team. 18. The Celtics saved their offseason by signing Kemba Walker to replace Irving. With a rejuvenated Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward, the Celtics could be a force to be reckoned with.. . . Boston Celtics
9. team. 41. The Warriors lost a lot this summer but somehow acquired D’Angelo Russell from the Nets. Let’s not forget the Warriors still have Curry and Draymond. Now add Russell and Willie Cauley-Stein and the Warriors are still scary.. . . Golden State Warriors
Utah Jazz. 8. team. 118. The Jazz are going to be scary good next year. The additions of Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic will help push them into championship contention. Let’s not forget they still have Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.. .
. . Portland Trail Blazers. 7. team. 34. The Trail Blazers weren’t even close to beating the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, but now that the Warriors are depleted, why can’t the Blazers come out of the West? They still have most of their core together and added Hassan Whiteside. Watch out for them.
Even though the 76ers lost Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick, they replaced them with two great players in Josh Richardson and Al Horford. This team is headed for the second seed in the East.. . . Philadelphia 76ers. 6. team. 93
73. The Nuggets might be the deepest team in the NBA. They have talent oozing out of every area on the roster. With Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic leading the way, the Nuggets will be among the top in the Western Conference.. . . Denver Nuggets. 5. team
Houston Rockets. 4. team. 169. Russell Westbrook and James Harden will have a lot of questions to answer about fit but they have a solid roster around them. Don’t be surprised to see this team rise once again as one of the best in the West.. .
team. 89. The Bucks are still the best team in the East. Even though they lost players like Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic, they will probably be the biggest threat coming out of the East.. . . Milwaukee Bucks. 3
Los Angeles Lakers. 2. team. 20. LeBron James has his co-star in Anthony Davis, and possibly his big three if DeMarcus Cousins returns to his former self. There’s no doubt this team will be one of the clear championship contenders in the league.. .
Los Angeles Clippers. 1. team. 77. The Clippers are the best team in the NBA right now. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams — I can go on and on. This team will extremely tough to play against, and although the NBA is wide open, they are the favorites to win the championship as of now.. .